Man ordered to pay back cash stolen from Bristol Airport

A MAN convicted of stealing more than £10,000 from Bristol Airport has been ordered to pay the money back.

At Bristol Crown Court on Friday, Simon Wells, aged 37, from Newport in South Wales was ordered to pay £3,713 to the airport under a confiscation order as compensation for its loss.

In September last year, Wells was convicted of 11 offences of theft from the Pay on Foot machines between March 18 and May 27 2009 and was sentenced to a community order and 150 hours of unpaid work.

A confiscation order has now been made, which allows the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the courts to demand repayment for proceeds of crime.

Kirstie Cogram, from Avon and Somerset Police’s financial investigation unit, said: “We are committed to seizing any assets that criminals have gained as a result of crime.

“It is not acceptable that criminals benefit from illegal activities and we will relentlessly pursue them through the courts to ensure their money is taken.

“By doing this we show criminals that they will not benefit from crime and hopefully deter others from entering a life of crime.”

The financial investigation unit has succeeded in obtaining confiscation orders of more than £2million against people convicted of a range of different crimes since the start of the financial year in April 2010.

According to police figures, one in seven people know someone living off the proceeds of crime. To report someone call the police on 0845 456 7000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.